There are two different schools of thought on whether to upgrade to a new operating system or to start over and do a clean install. There are merits to both methods.
A clean install will guarantee there will be no software incompatibilities and you should get the best performance from your computer. The down side is that you will have to reinstall all of your applications and hardware drivers and then restore all of the files your created or downloaded. You inevitably will lose some data and some applications and hardware may not work anymore.
Are there Restrictions on What Can be Upgraded?
An upgrade is easier for the non-technical person because it will retain your files, your user settings and the programs you had installed in vista. The table below shows the possible upgrade options.
| Upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium |
Upgrade to Windows 7 Professional |
Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate |
|
| Windows Vista Home Basic | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Vista Home Premium | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Vista Business | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Vista Ultimate |
|
Yes |
If your current version of vista cannot be upgraded to the version of Windows 7 you purchased, you will need to do a clean install because even though you are offered a custom installation option it is basically a clean install because it does not retain your files, programs or user settings.
Also you cannot upgrade a 32 bit version of Vista to a 64-bit version of windows 7. Nor can you upgrade to a lower version of windows 7. For example you cannot upgrade from Vista Ultimate such as windows 7 professional or home premium.
Checking Your Current Operating System
To check what version of Vista you are running:
- Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start -> Control Panel and then clicking on System and Maintenance
- Select Performance Information and Tools
- Click View and print details.
- Under System, System type will tell you type of operating system running, and, if you are running a 32-bit operating system whether you can run a 64-bit version of Windows.
- If you are already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won’t see the 64-bit capable listing.
- Preparing to install the Windows 7 Upgrade
Perform these tasks before you begin the install:
- Make sure you are running at least service pack 1 for vista. It is listed on the My Computer Properties page
- If available connect your computer to the internet
- Update your anti-virus program and then do a full scan of the entire computer
- Defrag your hard drive
- Run a good registry cleaner
- Reboot your computer
- Turn off the anti-virus program
- Write down the following information
- Windows 7 product key
- Your username and password (especially if you use a finger print reader or other biometric device to log on because you have to type your user name and password when you log on for the first time after the upgrade
Installing Windows 7
- Start the installation program by booting off the CD or USB drive or double clicking the setup file if you downloaded it to your hard drive.
- When the install page opens, click on Install now
- If you are connect to the internet, select get important updates for installation when prompted
- When you see the window below, select Upgrade
You may get a compatibility report. Just continue to follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing Windows 7.
When the installation is complete, reboot the computer if it does not reboot automatically.
Post Instillation Procedures
Make sure that your anti-virus is turned back on
You may need to upgrade some of your device drivers. I recommend you go tone of the web sites that offer a free driver scan to see if you need to upgrade anything. If you need to update any drivers, you can use the websites paid service or, since most of these websites will give you a list of the drivers that need to be updated, you can go to the windows 7 compatibility center for links to download and install the drivers yourself.
If you had any shared printers in Vista, you will need to re-share them in windows 7.
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